Thaksin Shinawatra cancels border visit Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand's hugely controversial former prime minister, has cancelled a planned visit to the Burma/Thai border, after authorities discovered a plot to assassinate him.
Mr Thaksin has no shortage of political enemies Photo: Reuters
By David Eimer, Bangkok
2:41PM GMT 06 Nov 2012
Mr Thaksin was set to travel to Tachileik in Burma's restive Shan State on Friday and Saturday, where thousands of his redshirt supporters were expected to meet him.
But the trip was called off on Tuesday after Deputy
Thai Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung revealed that an ethnic Shan man was arrested in Tachileik last Friday in possession of RPG grenades and explosives and had confessed to planning to kill Mr Thaksin when he visited a temple this Saturday.
"I confirm there is an assassination order from Thailand and some money had already been paid for it to happen. The RPG grenades were also transported from Thailand," said Mr Chalerm.
Tachileik is notorious as a conduit for the smuggling of drugs from the Golden Triangle. Noppadon Pattama, Mr Thaksin's legal adviser, speculated the planned assassination could be connected to the high-profile war on drugs launched by Mr Thaksin during his time as Prime Minister between 2001-2006.
But Mr Thaksin, whose sister Yingluck Shinawatra is the current Thai Prime Minister, has no shortage of political enemies. Many were unhappy at the prospect of him coming the closest to Thailand he has been since he went into exile in 2008 to avoid numerous corruption and electoral fraud charges.
นักข่าวคนเดียวกัน ก็รายงานจากกรุงเทพฯ เช่นเดียวกันว่าทักษิณจะถูกลอบสังหาร